The Crazy Old Taoist had been appearing and disappearing unpredictably lately. Song Shiyue felt a vague unease and confusion. The old rascal had been acting strange since her birthday, yet refused to explain anything to her.
Early this morning, the Crazy Old Taoist vanished again. Song Shiyue carried her herb basket and searched the entire mountain for him.
Little did she know, the moment she left the Taoist Temple, the Crazy Old Taoist returned.
“Kid, look what this is?”
Two marriage certificates written on bright red paper were placed before Gu Yu Chen, stamped with official seals.
Memories of being forced into marriage resurfaced…
Gu Yu Chen was currently helpless, severely injured to the point where he couldn’t even defeat a child. Under the Crazy Old Taoist’s pressure, he reluctantly agreed to the forced marriage, secretly hoping Song Shiyue would refuse so the matter would dissolve naturally.
He hadn’t figured out how to break the news to the young girl. Who knew the Crazy Old Taoist would be so cunning? Somehow, he had obtained Gu Yu Chen’s travel permit and his most prized possession, forcing him to sign the marriage certificate.
“Kid, I haven’t opened that thing, rest assured.”
Smiling gleefully, the Crazy Old Taoist picked up the marriage certificates and tossed the bundle to Gu Yu Chen, who quickly glanced at it. The wrapping cloth remained intact, confirming the old Taoist hadn’t lied.
The Crazy Old Taoist carefully reviewed the marriage certificates before solemnly writing Song Shiyue’s name and birthdate.
“Gu Yu Chen, you’d better guarantee this name is real. If I discover it’s fake, you’ll never see sunlight again.”
Gu Yu Chen swallowed hard. “I am indeed Gu Yu Chen.”
The Crazy Old Taoist headed straight to the Yamen with the marriage certificates.
Gu Yu Chen’s furrowed brows could crush flies—this was more terrifying than Bang Xia Zhuo Xu.
A tiger fallen on hard times, bullied by an old Taoist.
…
When Song Shiyue returned from herb gathering, she went directly to the kitchen. Even after setting the table, the Crazy Old Taoist was nowhere to be seen—an unprecedented occurrence.
Carrying Gu Yu Chen’s meal to his room, she found him staring blankly at the table.
A red document lay on the table. Song Shiyue approached for a closer look—it was actually a marriage certificate registered at the Yamen.
Her name and Gu Yu Chen’s were clearly written on it.
“What’s going on? Where did this come from?”
Still lost in recollection, Gu Yu Chen slowly regained his senses like a puppet. “Your master brought it back.”
“Old rascal! Get out here right now!”
Her roar, infused with Inner Force, echoed throughout the entire Taoist Temple.
Gu Yu Chen felt the entire mountain shake slightly. Outside the temple, various birds and reptiles cried out in alarm.
What kind of martial arts had this girl practiced? Such formidable power.
“Old scoundrel…”
“Crazy Old Taoist…”
“Mad old Taoist…”
“Master…”
After multiple calls, the Crazy Old Taoist still didn’t appear in the temple.
Her shouting attracted concerned hunters from nearby, forcing Song Shiyue to suppress her anger.
“Damn you! Have the guts to never show your face before me again!”
Song Shiyue had been abandoned by the Crazy Old Taoist.
Only then did Gu Yu Chen realize why the Crazy Old Taoist had been so urgent about arranging their marriage certificate—he was planning to wash his hands of the matter!
Returning to the room, Song Shiyue wanted to tear up the marriage certificate in fury, but Gu Yu Chen swiftly snatched it away.
“This is registered at the Yamen. Tearing it up won’t help. If we ever seek divorce in the future, not having the certificate would cause more trouble.”
Song Shiyue clenched her fists. “There will only be wife-initiated divorce, no mutual agreement.”
She didn’t know why she had said those words, only feeling unbalanced at being repeatedly abandoned. Next time someone left, it would be her taking the initiative, not being passive.
Gu Yu Chen didn’t know what she had experienced over the years. To him, whether it was a wife-initiated divorce or a mutual separation made no difference.
Song Shiyue threw herself onto the bed, slowly calming the anger in her chest.
Recalling how she had come to this world, she realized that if not for that Crazy Old Taoist, she would have long been reincarnated.
Her master had not only saved her life but had also been like a parent to her for over a decade. How could he just leave without a word? Was she really that detestable?
Song Shiyue sat up. That wretched old man must have gotten himself into some serious trouble.
She rushed into the Crazy Old Taoist’s room. The usually messy bed was now neatly made, with an envelope resting on the pillow.
She had been too focused on searching for him earlier to notice it. Song Shiyue eagerly opened it to find several large-denomination silver notes inside. At the bottom was a note explaining that Gu Yu Chen had agreed to use his entire fortune as her dowry. At the very end were two large characters:
“Leave!”
Was he saying that he had left, or that she should leave too?
Connecting this with the Crazy Old Taoist’s recent strange behavior, Song Shiyue ran outside.
Gu Yu Chen had hastily eaten something but, unable to bear the pain any longer, slowly moved himself to the bed to wait for Song Shiyue.
His mind was in turmoil. One moment he wondered if the Crazy Old Taoist’s departure meant he had offended someone; the next, he thought about when his own people would come find him. Finally, his mind was filled with the trouble of being saddled with Song Shiyue.
As someone still severely injured and lacking strength, Gu Yu Chen drifted into a hazy sleep.
In the mountain forest, Song Shiyue searched carefully.
In places where the local mountain dwellers wouldn’t go, she discovered shoe prints that didn’t belong to anyone from around here.
Among them were prints she had seen in the county town—marks left by the distinctive boots worn by government officers.
There were also several sets of shoe prints with unfamiliar floral patterns, left by persons unknown.
What kind of trouble had her master gotten into? Which of these two groups meant him no harm? Or did both?
…
At dawn, the sound of Gu Yu Chen knocking over his wheelchair in the next room woke Song Shiyue.
She got up briskly, tidied her room, and hid a bronze waist token she had found under a large tree the previous night.
She was certain that the Crazy Old Taoist’s enemies had come looking for him, and to avoid implicating her, he had left on his own.
Over the years, she had never asked about her master’s origins. Someone who secluded themselves deep in the mountains for over a decade either sought true spiritual cultivation or was hiding from enemies.
Clearly, the gluttonous and wine-loving Crazy Old Taoist belonged to the latter category.
Song Shiyue simply tied up her hair and hurried to the next room. Gu Yu Chen was slowly lowering himself to the ground.
“Good morning, Miss Yue.”
He knew he didn’t look his best and offered an awkward smile. Then he relaxed—this girl had already seen him in plenty of embarrassing situations; a few more wouldn’t matter.
Song Shiyue righted the wheelchair, lifted Gu Yu Chen in one motion, and placed him in it.
“Thank you.”
Gu Yu Chen had long grown numb to Song Shiyue’s roughness and merely maintained his basic courtesy.
“You’d better not move around unnecessarily. Recover as quickly as possible—this place is no longer safe.”
The Crazy Old Taoist’s sudden departure without a word had already led Gu Yu Chen to guess that someone had threatened their safety and that the old Taoist had drawn them away.
“I understand, are you alright?”
“Of course I am. Didn’t the old man marry me off to you?”
Gu Yu Chen choked back his words – he was truly being taken advantage of.
Seeing his discomfort, Song Shiyue felt slightly better.
She disliked having her marriage arranged arbitrarily, but she genuinely needed an identity now.
Whether it was finding her master or uncovering the truth about her origins, she needed assistance.
Song Shiyue knew her limitations well and understood how to utilize available resources. Gu Yu Chen happened to be the only resource she had at the moment.
Admittedly, the Crazy Old Taoist’s actions had accidentally served the purpose.
Days flowed by unnoticed.
It had been ten days since the Crazy Old Taoist left. Apart from the brief anger when she first learned about it, Song Shiyue showed no further reaction.
Every day she gathered herbs, cooked meals, and took care of Gu Yu Chen. If not for occasionally being snapped at by Song Shiyue, Gu Yu Chen would have almost forgotten she had a temper.
Gu Yu Chen was quite certain her initial anger wasn’t because of the Marriage Certificate, but because the Crazy Old Taoist had left.
However, he still couldn’t figure out whether the strange girl had silently accepted the situation or had other plans in mind.